I work very hard and am attending college to obtain my degree in the Human Service field. Writing makes me feel alive and gives me the opportunity to touch those whom I would not be able to otherwise. Last but not least, I have been blessed with two amazing daughters who love me completely and support my dreams. Feel free to contact me with questions, concerns or feedback.

I'll be honest, earlier this year I lost 30 pounds. I was up to 195 and I said enough is enough. Despite the fact I'm 6'1" and I most likely appeared more curvy, I knew I had to do something. My happy weigh is around 170, give or take 10 pounds. At one point, I was able to get down to 165, yet I almost killed myself to achieve that goal.

How did I do it, you ask? Let me tell ya! First and foremost, I was in the gym every single day. I also had My Fitness Pal on my smart phone which allowed me to track

EVERY

SINGLE

CALORIE

consumed throughout the day. It was hard, painstaking and also a bit OCD. The minute I reached my goal, I threw my arms up in the air and declared my hiatus. I decided I had worked for it and it was time for a much needed break.

Fast forward 6 months. Every day that went by, I thought about working out but I was just too tired, too busy, to happy, too sad, too everything. I thought about eating healthy but I was enjoying the coffee ice cream and Mountain Dew, so much so, that I would not have just one can, but 2-3 cans per day.

I avoided the scale, sat on the couch, or simply made more excuses. My friends didn't bug me, neither did my family, in fact, since most believe I'm "too skinny", they never see that I am gaining weight and simply encourage me to eat more.

I am currently 186. I am curvy/thick/whateveryouwanttocallit. I'm not "fat" per se, just a whole lot softer around the midsection and buttocks area than before. I've still got it going on for a 44 year old woman, so no worries there. To be honest, what concerns me is whatever weight I carry into my older adulthood and the "cankles" joke used by my kids years ago will eventually apply.

That said, I am trying again. I am back at the gym. I decided yesterday that I am going to do a 3 day veggie and juice cleanse. This, of course, was after I had stopped at McDonald's for a Breakfast Burrito and Sweat Tea, I mean, um, Oatmeal and water.

This is day 2. I am feeling different. My head hurts, my stomach is screaming at me and I'm not 100% certain I'm going to make it. It's possible that delusion may set in and you may see my car underneath the Hone Bridge on the 10 O'clock news. I may beg someone to push my car, or I may simply throw it into drive and allow it to coast. Either way, I think you catch my drift.

I may survive, and if I do, I truly believe that I will feel better and shed unnecessary weight. Either way, it's just another challenge along the way. I'm praying that I can get a hold of what makes me tick when it comes to food and fitness in general.

How about you? What have you attempted to try, try again? Do you have any success stories? If you do, I'd love to hear them!

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